Ensilage cutter



-March 27, 1928. 1,663,720

J. H. MOTT ENSILAGE CUTTER 2 Sheet n FM WM Patented Mar. 27, 1928.

JAMES H. MOTT, OF WILLMAR, MINNESOTA.

ENSILAG-E CUTTER.

Application filed October 16, 1919. Serial 110,330,945.

The machines usually employed for cutting up ensilage to bepacked in a silo deliver the corn at right angles or substantially so to the cutting knives. The result is the stalks are cut in cylindrical sections or pieces of varying length and frequently are of such size that they cannot be masticated easily by the cattle and there is always danger that one of these imperfectlymasticated sections will lodge in the throat of the animal with fatal results.

The object, therefore, of my invention s to provide an ensilage feed which will de-' liver the material at such an angle to the cutting knives that the sections, instead of being cut squarely across the stalk, will be sliced obliquely in long, thin pieces, which will become softened more readily, when packed in the silo and can bemore easily masticated and without danger of chok ng the animal.

Other objects of" the invention will appear from the following detailed description.

The invention consists generally 1n various constructions and combinations, all asv hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in'the claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 is aside elevationof an ensilage cutter embodying my invention,

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same, Figure 3 is a detail view of the feed rolls,

between which the ensilage material is ,fed

' the ensilage is brought up to the cutting knives. A bevel pinion 11 is mounted on the shaft 4 meshing with a large bevel gear 10 on a short shaft 11 which is provided with a gear 12 meshin with a similar gear 13. An upper feed roll 16 is mounted in a frame 17 pivoted at 18 on 'the apron frame and driven through a belt or chain 19 from the hub of the gear 13. The shaft of the upper feed roll projects through slots in the side boards of the apron and is free to move vertically therein as usual in devices of'this j am kind. Springs 20, adjustable by means of screws 21, normallyhold the feed roll'16'in yielding relation with respect to a lower feed".

roll 22. The lower feed rol-lis on subs tan tially the same level as the upper run of" the apron, as indicated in Figure 3, so that the ensilage brought along by the apron will: be directed between the upper. and lower rolls, the weight of the frame and the upper roll, assisted by the compression springs,

operating to grip the ensilage and feed forward to the knives.

The apron frame, as indicated plainlyin Figure 2, is mounted obliquely with respect; to theknife casing 2 so-thatthe stalks of corn are delivered upon the feed table 24.

and advanced to the stationary and revolve ing knives 25 and 26 obliquely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the cylinder, so

that the knives, instead of. cutting directlyacross the corn and chopping it up in smallv blocks or cylindrical sections, will slice it in thin pieces .of any desired thickness and of such length that the ensilage will readily be come softened in the silo andcan be'easily masticated by the animal without any danger whatever of choking. Furthermore,

these thin pieces, instead of becoming harjd and dry,.as often occurs with the short, 7 squarely cut blocks, will be thoroughly soft-f ened and; willbe farmore nutritiousto the stock than the small, imperfectly softened blocks. v v H I prefer also to providea plate 27 -,above the feed table 24, supported by arms- 28, mounted on theframeQIT'and vertically movable therewith and with the upper feed roll, said plate normally tending to hold the ensilage fiat on the feed table and prevent it from becoming bunched in passing to the revolving knives. By the adjustment of the screws 21 the pressure of the spring onthe upper feed roll can be regulated accordingto the volume or the depth of the feed desired.

Generally the material will pass in a thin sheet from the apron through the rolls to the knivesv and theldepth of this sheet can be determined and controlled by the adjustment of the screws. v

In Figure 4 I have shown a modified construction which consists in mounting the apron frame 8 for the apron 9 at one end of the knife casing instead of at'the side. A shaft 4 having a pulley 5 is provided and a belt 6 drives the fan shaft/7' from the shaft 4 The gear wheel 10 meshes volving cylinder 26.

with the pinion l'l on the shaft 4 and a beveled pinion 12 meshes with a beveled gear 13 and gears 1 1 and 15 drive the upper feed roll l6 through the belt 19 A frame 1'7 supports the feed roll 16*. Idle feed rolls 16 are mounted on one side of the apron frame 8 and have the function of directing the ensilage into the path of the re- 7 The stalksoi corn will. be fed obliquely by the apron and feed rolls to the knives and cut in small, thin. pieces'or strips in substantially the same manner as described with reference to Fig- .ures 1 and 2, the principal difference being in placing the feed apron at one end of the casing instead of at the side to adapt it for the different type of cutter shown.

1 have also found that Where the stalks of corn are fed obliquely to the cutting knives that the cutting operation is performed. with much less power than usual where the stalks are fed at right angles to the knives and it is not necessary'to have the knivessharp where the cut ismade on the bias'or obliquely of the stalk. This feature'of the, invention adds quite materially to its valuein a machine of this kind.

f I make no claim inthis'application to the cutter itselias one of any suitable type may beemployed, the essential feature of the invention being the arrangement of the feed apron and rolls to deliver the material obliq'uely to the cutting knives.

-I claim as myjinvention:

A device, of the class prising a blower casing, a cutter arranged withinan opening of the casing, afteed table leading to said opening and cutter, a pair of feed rolls, upper and lower, for delivering uponsaid table, a pair of pivoted links, rotatably journalin g the upper feed roll, a compression plate yiel-dably supported above the table and attached by resilientwfiexible.

members with said links, and adapted to form with the table a feed-throat, and

'livering stock toward the cutter, a pair '0 described com-V roll, and extending in a direction away from e said table, ahorizontalpresser plate ar ranged to cooperate with thetable between the rolls and cutter, said plate having reisilient connection with the supporting links ofthe upper roll, and spaced froin'the tableto form a throat, and a conveyor fordeliver-ing stock to the rolls at a point rearward;

1y of the table, I

3. In combination, acutter, atablefor de'j feed rolls upper and lower arranged toldeliver stock upon the table, apairjof pivoted. links r otatably journaling the upper roll',a horizontal presser plate arranged to cooperate with the table between the rolls out ter, said plate having a supporting connection with the supporting hnks of the upper roll, and separated from the table to form a throat.

4. In combination, .a cutter, a, tablel for delivering stock. toward the cutter, a pair of.

feed rolls upper and lower arrangedto deliver stock upon the table, a pair ofpivoted links rota'tably r'journaling the upper roll and extending in a' direction .awayifrom the table, a horizontal -presser plate arranged to cooperate with the tablebetween the rolls and cutter, said plate having resilient connections with the" supporting: links ofthe upper roll, andseparated from-the table to form a throat I" l v 1 i In witness whereof, Ihave hereunto set my hand this 10th (layer Qcto bei', 1 919.

7 J ME HM 

